NATALIE WOOD AUTOPSY SHOCKER

As sister LANA WOOD spearheads an effort to reopen the NATALIE WOOD drowning mystery, bizarre new evidence has emerged!

With the 30th anniversary of the tragedy looming, Lana and author Marti Rulli delivered a package containing an online petition and signed documents imploring police to reopen the decades old cold-case two weeks ago.

Rulli, the author of “Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendor”, confirmed that “the online petition asking for Natalie’s case to be reopened, started by attorney Vincent Deluca, was delivered … to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.”

And now, top secret autopsy reports have been leaked.

Canyon News reported that Roger Smith who was the Supervising Rescue Boat Captain for Catalina Island, and was involved with the recovery of Natalie Wood’s body November 29, 1981, says he didn’t witness any bruises on Wood’s body despite published reports.

Yet, longtime Robert Wagner and Natalie pal, the yacht’s skipper, Captain Dennis Draven vehemently disagreed, “The bruises I saw on Natalie’s body, and the first thing that came to my mind was the violent argument I overheard in the master stateroom the night before Natalie went missing."

But Roger Smith disputed Draven's claim, “I (took) her to the U.S.C Marine Science Center to avoid taking her through the public at Two Harbors.

“I laid Natalie at the entrance platform and the deputy and I took off her Down Jacket, and we had to check her out for any foul play. That is when we found out she had nothing on under her full length night gown. We looked carefully for anything unusual and did not find any bruising as suggested in Marti’s book.”

“I closed her eyes which was very easy to do. When I looked at her she did not look like she had been deceased that long, as I had seen before in drowning victims. We covered her up with a disposable blanket. I took off her rings and jewelry while we waited for what I thought would be Wagner for I.D. purposes.

“Instead the captain of the boat arrived! I pulled down the blanket from her face and he said yes that is her. I gave him her jewelry and he left.

"He did not see any other part of her,” said Smith.

If the NATALIE WOOD case is to ever be reopened by police, key witnesses must agree on what they saw and when.

Even Thomas Noguchi, former head of the LA Coroner’s Office was never able to conduct a full autopsy – leaving the door wide-open for conspiratorial scenarios. But his report (pictured) clearly shows fresh bruises on the recovered remains.

Natalie’s husband Robert Wagner has consistently maintained he gave a full account of what happened and has steadfastly denied any wrong doing.

As The ENQUIRER previously pointed out long standing rumors of gay sex, discovery, drunken flight and death are just that –rumors — and the truth may never be known until all the key players are long dead themselves. Or if someone emerges from the muck to reveal the seamy truth propping up myths and legends.

Meanwhile, CBS News 48 Hours will attempt to unravel the tangled web on the eve of the tragedy’s 30th anniversary.